While most talk of Matusz's arm, it's his mitts that impress Showater.

"He's got great hands and can do a lot of things with the baseball,'' he said. "Because he's got such long fingers, he can really manipulate the ball in throwing a change up, slider, curve, fastball.

"You ever shake hands with Matusz?''

Yep, and just as firmly does Matusz (1-0, 2.92 ERA) disliked those challenging times.

"It's never fun when you're not pitching well,'' Matusz said. "I was inconsistent; I was all over the place. It was command and the sharpness of my pitches.''

He was cutting edge when returning for the playoff push. Instead of dealing the pity card at Norfolk, he reshuffled his deck and became an ace reliever.

"I got the opportunity to pitch out of the bullpen and to be part of a playoff-caliber team,'' said Matusz, who saw action in every game of the AL Division Series against the Yankees. "In my eyes, I was willing to do whatever it took to be part of that playoff run.''

The Orioles earned their first postseason berth in 15 years and won their first playoff outing since 1997. Late in the AL Wild Card game, Matusz struck out then-Ranger Josh Hamilton to help make it happen.

This after Matusz produced a 1.35 ERA in 18 relief outings following his call-up.

Matusz, once a can't-miss starter, became keen at making hitters miss in key situations. It's not the predictable work load Matusz envisioned, but he's not complaining.

"Now I come to the park knowing every day I could be throwing,'' Matusz said. "I am just on a different path and I want to keep it going. Because there were times when I was struggling that I thought, 'Gosh, will I ever feel like I used to?'''

He leaned on family and friends in surviving the low points. He also dusted off those positive vibes that Hill continuously preached at USD.

"Much of the stuff I still do in the big leagues is what I learned at USD and what Coach Hill taught me,'' Matusz said. "It goes back to playing the game with the proper mindset. It was just determination and loving the game so much that I wanted to get back.''

Some lessons are tougher than others. Matusz absorbed his on the Baltimore-Norfolk-Baltimore shuttle.

"I rather not have had to go through that, but I never take it for granted how great this is up here,'' Matusz said. "It's an awesome opportunity and a fun place to play.''